Feed mixing apparatus



July 21, 1953 s. c. BATES FEED MIXING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. l5, 1951 TTURNEY July 21, 1953 s, c, BATES 2,646,260

. FEED MIXING APPARATUSl Filed Feb. 15, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTDR ETANPDRD E. E ATES www TTURNEY `uniform or desired proportions.

Patented July 21, l1953 Um'rrzp STATE-s eArr-.Nr OFFICE FEED MIXING APPARATUS Stanford C. Bates, Rome, N. Y., Y Application February 15, 1951*! Serial No. 2112,1 69 v 3. Claims.

This invention relates to feed mixing an.y

' lasses while maintaining a uniform volumetric ratio.

In feed mixers utilized for mixing molassesv with mixed dairy'feeds comprising bran, gluten, hominy, distillers grain, and the like, great dif'.-V flculty isv had in producing a mixture having The variations in the viscosity of molasses or otherV liquids such as corn Syrups and the like to be mixed,V due to temperature and other factors, has rendered accurate control by ordinary methods an iine possibility. The varying cost of molasses'makes it desirable to control the proportions closely. Also it is desirable to have a uniform feed and mix, since when the proportions of molasses, for example, get out of hand, the mixed product may be unduly sticky, rendering it.. diiiicult to pack. Since the vproportions in practice may vary from to 15% by weight, uniformity in the continuous mixing process is highly desirable, to prevent a too-stickyv mix, or a mix. lacking in the quantity or percent of `molasses Ybargained for.

and continuously introducing molasses or the,4

like into a feed mixer in strict proportion to the quantity of feed being introduced.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the type described, wherein any desired proportions may be continuously introduced for mixing, and in which the proportions may be readily varied to suit varying` demands.

AY further object of the inventionp'i's to provide a feed mixer in which the quantity of Vliquid supplied controls the quantity of feed introduced, and in which common metering apparatus serves to control the feed introduced.

A further object of the invention is to provide I apparatus of economical construction, rugged in design, and in which protection against jamming of the liquid measuring meter is provided.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of afeed measuring gate mechanism, the power requirements for operation of which are negligible, and which may be drivably connected to the indicator shaft of a common metering device. acting as a motor.

The above and other novel features `of the invention'will appear more fully hereinafter fromV the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with. the accompanying., dllwilgs lt. expressly understood that. the.. drawings are, employed for purposes of illustrationy only.. are notdesigned as a denition 0f the limits of the invention, reference. being had i013V this. purpose. to. the appended claims.` .Y

y In the drawings., wherein like reference. char.- acters indicate like parts.:

Figure 11 is. a longitudinal sectional View. ,of the apparatus;

JEigure 2` is an enlarged transverse section tali-er1. substantially on the-11116112 Qf Figur-S. l;

Figure 3. is ahorizental section taken substantially on the. line 3...3 of: Ei ,re 1;

Figure eis. aA horizontal view taken substantially on the. line -'elt of. Eleni-*e 1;. Y

Figure. o is a. fragmentary end view ofthe, upper portion of the apparatus. show-ll. Figur@ 1;. and

Figure 6 is ev fragmentary end View oi the lower portion of the. apparatus shown .in Figure 1,-

Referring to. Figure. 1.. there is. shown .e hopper l0 adapted, to,V receive. feed from e. loin located above.. or by conveyor. a measuring Chamber. l2 located therepelew, and an elongated mixing chamber lll, one end @f WhlQh beneath the measuring chamber l2: and the Ql'fller end of which is adapted to. discharge es ai !6 into dispensing apparatus suoli as pas; filling mechanism- The. hopper l0 may. be of rsolepeillar Grossseetion, and is. provided with. e peirof spaced 1 shafts. I8. and 2,9.. preiereply driven in opposite directions and. imirpel-ed in the opposite side wallsV of the hopper-.-

of the. shafts ispfovided with a plurelityoi: peeters err-ns .22. er: ranged upon the shafts .staggered relation along the ler-,lgtlr` The pepper l0 is provided with a. bottom wall composed of. opposed shelflike. members 24 and 26 which provide en openving or outlet. 8.9i elongated restons-oler Shop@ by reinforcing laterally spaced edge strips 36 and 38, the structure providing guideways 40 on vopposite sides, between the top. of the meas# uring chamber *and immediately below the bottom ofthe hopper, and a narrow slit Yil between the wall 4,3 oi the hopper end the Wall- 52 of the chamber. The strips 36 and 38 and the lconnecting strip 34. are extended laterally away from the hopper l0 and measuring chamber" l2 te. provide .extended euideways adapted to re- 3 ceive a sliding plate 42 adapted to enter through the slit 4I. Such plate may be manually positioned so that its inner edge 44 will control the length of the rectangular opening 28.

In the measuring chamber I2, there is provided a measuring device in the form of a revolving gate 46, such gate comprising a series of rectangular radially extending blades 48 mounted upon a shaft 58 journaled in the opposite walls 52 and 54 of the measuring chamber. The axis of the shaft 50 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the rectangular opening 28 and mounted substantially beneath such opening a distance slightly greater than the radial length of the blades 48. The blades 48 extend substantially from wall to wall.

The measuring chamberis mounted directly above one end of the mixing chamber I4, so that feed measured by the revolving gate 46 is dropped into the end of the mixing chamber. Extending lengthwise through the length of the mixing chamber are beater shafts 56 and 58 journaled in the end walls as at 60 and E2, such beater shafts having a plurality of paddles or blades 64 suitably inclined to drive the feed and mix the same lengthwise in the direction of arrow A within the mixing chamber. The end paddles such as 66 may be pitched at substantially 90 so as to propel the mixture downwardly into the discharge outlet I6. At the head end of the mixing chamber, there is positioned a liquid supply conduit B8 having a number of outlet ports 1U, such conduit being adapted to feed liquids such as molasses to the mixing chamber in the inlet end, so that as the feedand molasses are progressed along the length of such chamber, the feed and molasses become intimately and uniformly mixed. To prevent molasses or molassesladen feed from inadvertently coming in contact with the gate 46, a splash guard 'II may be positioned beneath one side of the gate.

The viscosity of molasses varies widely with temperature, and in order to assure uniform proportions between the feed and molasses or other liquid, a feature of the invention resides in the driving of the revolving gate 46 from a volumetric metering device such as T2 arranged in the supply conduit 68. In practice, it is usual to supply molasses to the mixing chamber under pressure, as by a gear pump I4 drawing molasses from a supply duct 15. Such gear pump may deliver fluid under pressure through a metering device 18 and thence to the metering device I2, the shaft of which is directly connected to the revolving gate 46. The pressure developed by the gear pump 'I4 may be regulated by a pressure regulating valve such as 8U, with a return connection 82 to the source of supply. The rate of flow may be controlled by the valve 83.

The metering device 12 is of the common wellknown displacement type having a shaft 84 driven by the ow of liquid therethrough, the rotation of the indicator shaft 84 being in direct proportion to the volume of the liquid passing through the meter. The meter acts as a motor. The shaft 84 is coupled with the shaft 55 through a resilient sleeve 86 of rubber or rubber-like material, whose grip upon the respective shafts is such as to provide a positive drive under normal circumstances, but which will also permit slippage should the rotary gate 46 become jammed by reason of foreign matter interfering with the rotation of the blades. It will be appreciated that the shaft 84 of the meter acting as a motor 12, in apparatus commonly on the market, does not provide any great amount of torque since the function of such meter is ordinarily to serve as an indicator. However, the revolving gate construction described requires substantially no torque to cause rotation thereof in the measuring of feed delivered toit from the hopper, and in fact, the gravity movement of the feed into the gate has to some extent a tendency to assist the gate in its rotation. Thus, the meter I2 in driving the gate is not loaded to any appreciable extent and serves as a satisfactory medium for either driving the gate or constraining it in its rotation to a rotation speed directly proportional to the flow of molasses or other substance through the meter l2. The coupling 86 may be provided with clamping devices such as hose clamps to tighten the grip to any desired degree upon the respective shaft ends, so that the actual torque transmittable can be set, before slippage, so that the meter will be protected against any possible overload.

It will also be appreciated that feed such as bran and other grains will tend to ll the spaces between the adjacent vanes of the gate, the nature of the substance being such that when the space is filled, no more substance will flow because of the natural tendency of the feed to pile up and not to seek a common level. It is only essential that the gate be placed sufciently near the opening 28 so that the construction effectively prevents feed from being delivered through the measuring chamber except by rotation of the gate and the successive filling of the angular spaces between the adjacent vanes. It will thus be seen that the revolving gate will accurately measure the quantity of feed passedV thereby, and that the quantity will be in direct proportion to the rate of rotation of the gate and the flow of molasses or other liquid through the metering device or motor 12.

Since it is desirable to change the proportions between the molasses or other liquid and the quantity of feed continuously passed through the apparatus to suit various customerrequirements, there is provided the plate 42 which is slidably mounted in the guideways 48, which plate may be positioned so as to-control the length of the rectangular opening 26. The exposed end of the plate is provided with a handle 88 so as to render the same readily movable to whatever position is desired, and the plate may have affixed to one edge thereof an indicator S3 cooperating with a scale 92, so that an operator may set the plate at any desired position to provide or regulate the rate of feed through the rectangular opening 28. It Will thus be seen that not only will the proportions between the liquid and feed be closely controlled by the revolving gate and the direct connected meter l2, but also the proportions may be at will changed in order to supply a mixture of any particular percentage desired by the customer.

The beater shafts 28 and I8 are indicated as driven in reverse directions, and such reverse rotation is obtained by a chain drive 94 meshing with sprockets 96 and 98 on the ends of the shafts I8 and 26, the chain extending over an adjustable idler sprocket IUD. The beater shafts 56 and 58 may be driven in the same direction by a chain H32 linking together sprockets VU34 and IB mounted on the ends of the shafts 56 and 58. A source of power for driving the beater shafts I8 and 20 and the mixer shafts 56 and 58 is provided in the form of a motor H38 having a belt drive I I0 to pulleys II2 and I I4 on the shafts 56 and 20, respectively.

The operation of the apparatus will appear from the foregoing description. It will be understood, however, that the beater arms 22 in the hopper I0 serve the purpose of agitating the feed and breaking up any tendency of lumps whereby the feed will uniformly drop through the rectangular opening 26 at a rate sufficient to corn- .pletely ll the angular spaces formed by the blades or vanes of the rotating gate 46. i It will also appear that the mixing shafts 56 and 58 with their respective blades will thoroughly commingle the feed and molasses in causing this mixture to move to the outlet end of the mixing chamber.

The arrangement shown comprises a relatively compact organization in which the feed is directly fed to the meter driven gate and thereafter discharged into the mixing chamber. It will, of course, appear that a metered quantity of feed might be conveyed by a conveyor to a mixing chamber at a distant point, and that the unitary arrangement shown is not essential to tion has been illustrated and described, it is to s be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. As various changes in the construction and arrangement maybe made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A feed mixing apparatus comprising, a feed supply hopper having a bottom wall provided with an elongated rectangular discharge opening, means for fluing feed within said hopper to continuously supply a quantity of feed for discharge through said opening, a measuring chamber located` beneath said hopper and having end walls extending downwardly from the hopper and arranged transversely of the opening at either end thereof, a revolving gate journaled in said end walls on a shaft extending parallel with the llongitudinal dimension of said opening and spaced below said opening, said gate comprising rectangular radial vanes uniformly angularly spaced on said shaft of a radial width to sweep closeto said opening, and of an axial lengthcommensurate with the length of said opening, plate means slidably mounted between said hopper and measuring chamber and immediately adjacent said bottom wall for regulating the length of said opening, a mixer chamber beneath said gate having conduit means for supplying a liquid medium to .be mixed with feed in said chamber, means for supplying a liquid medium through said conduit means underv pressure, a liquid ow motor in said conduit means having a rotary shaft rotatable exactly in proportion to the flow of liquid through said motor and conduit means, and means connecting said shaft with said gate entirely independent of said pressure supply means, whereby said gate is' driven or retarded by said shaft, and rotated in direct proportion vto the flow ofv liquid Amedium through said `motor and conduit means.

2. A feed mixing apparatus comprising, a feed supply hopper, power driven beaters mounted in said hopper, said hopper having a bottom wall provided with an elongated rectangular vdischarge opening, means for regulating the size of said opening, a feed flow measuring chamber'beneath said hopper, a multi-bladed revolving gate mounted Vin said measuring chamber, said gate having a shaft extending longitudinally beneath said opening, and having a plurality of rectangular radial blades equally spaced angularly around said shaft of Van axial length commensurate with said opening, said shaft being located a distance beneath said opening slightly greaterl than the radius of said blades, and said gate having a tendency to rotate by the weight'of feed contained therein,`aI mixing chamber adapted to receive feed discharged from said measuring gate, conduit means for introducing molasses into said mixing chamber, a source of molasses under pressure connected to said conduit means, and motor means in said conduit means directly responsive to the quantity of iicw of molasses in said conduit means, said motor Ameans having a shaft driven in direct proportion to the quantity of' flow of molasses through said motor and conduit means, and means connecting said driven shaft to said gate shaft to provide a sole means for rotating said gate, or constraining the rotation of Y said gate to angular movement directly proportional to the flow of molasses in said conduit means.

3. A feed and liquid mixing apparatus comprising, a feed supply hopper, having an outlet,

Va mixing chamber, rotary means associated With said outlet and interposed between said hopper and chamber for controlling the rate of delivery of feed to said chamber from said hopper in quantities proportional to movement of said means, power means for delivering liquid into said chamber for mixing with said feed, including a discharge conduit, liquid iiow motor means having a shaft interposed in said conduit, means for connecting said shaft to said rotary means, said shaft of said motor means being adapted to rotate in direct proportion to flow of liquid through said motor means and drive or constrain said rotary means to movement in direct proportion 'to liquid fiow through said motor means, whereby feed delivery and liquid delivery are maintained in fixed proportion.

STANFORD C. BATES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 857,742 Lanquist June 25, 1907 1,023,411 Behrmann Apr. 16, 1912 1,413,345 Morris Apr. 18, 1922 2,032,900 Alger Mar. 3, 1936 2,073,779 Bramsen Mar. 16, 1937 2,164,257 Riza June 27, 1939 2,237,787 Marshall Apr. 8, 1941 2,276,237 Lowry Mar. l0, 1942 2,507,290 Wright et al. May 9, 1950 

